Determination of Aluminium by Electrothermal Atomization Atomic Absorption Spectrometry in Serum to Characterize Hemodialysis Toxicity

A simple and cost-effective method is described for the determination of aluminum by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) in serum of hemodialysis patients and healthy subjects. The only preparative step required is the dissolution of the serum sample in 0.2% magnesium nitrate matrix modifier and separate diluents 0.01 M EDTA and 0.1% Triton X-100. The calibration curve was linear from 20 to 100 µg/L with correlation coefficients of 0.9993 and 0.9998 for EDTA and Triton X-100, respectively. The sensitivity of the method for aluminum at the 309.3 nm line was 74 pg. The instrumental and method limits of detection were 2.2 µg/L and 4.4 µg/L, respectively. The aluminum concentrations of forty serum samples from hemodialysis patients and healthy subjects were determined and the mean values were 170.9 ± 6.8 µg/L and 47.3 ± 9.3 µg/L, respectively, whereas the permissible limit for aluminum in blood serum is 10 µg/L. The high level of Al in serum was related to oral phosphate binding agents and dialysis treatment.     

Determination of proline in human serum by a robust LC‐MS/MS method: application to identification of human metabolites as candidate biomarkers for esophageal cancer early detection and risk stratification

Altered serum proline levels are related to cancer metabolism. This study developed and validated a LC‐MS/MS method to analyze proline in human serum. Surrogate blank serum, coupled with stable isotope l ‐proline‐¹³C₅,¹⁵ N as internal standard, was used for generating standard curves ranging from 2.5 to 100 μg/mL. Proline was extracted from serum samples using methanol. A Phenomenex Lux 5u Cellulose‐1 column (250 × 4.6 mm) was used for chromatographic separation with 40% methanol in 0.05% formic acid aqueous solution as a mobile phase. Mass detection was performed under positive ionization electrospray. Intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy and precision were <10%. The extraction recovery and matrix factor were 99.17 and 1.47%, respectively. Our study showed that the chiral column had high specificity and selectivity for separating proline from serum components. The assay was successfully applied for the quantification of human serum proline levels from 30 esophageal cancer patients and 30 healthy volunteers. Statistical analyses showed significantly lower levels of serum proline in the patients as compared with the healthy volunteers (p‐value = 0.011). We report here a simple, specific and reproducible LC‐MS/MS method for the quantification of proline in human serum as a potential screening biomarker for esophageal cancer. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Critical study of the speciation of aluminum in biological fluids by size-exclusion chromatography and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Pooled serum and the serum of a healthy volunteer were spiked with aluminum and aluminum species were separated on Bio-gel columns. With the P10 column, less than 40% of the aluminum was eluted with the high-molecular-weight (m.w.>20 00) fraction; the total aluminum concentration was 600 μg l^?1. Tw lower m.w. fractions were also recovered. With the P4 column, only one high m.w. (65–100%) and one low m.w. (0–53%) fraction were recovered; the total Al concentrations was 10–110 μg l^?1. When a hemofiltrate obtained from uremic patients on regular hemofiltration and spiked with 60–110 μg Al l^?1 was applied to the P4 gel, two lower m.w. fractions were detected. The adsorption/desorption of “free” aluminum on the column was studied with 0.9% NaCl solution, Earle's medium and filtrate. Normal column fractionation and frontal analysis (adsorption and desorption breakthrough curves) were used. Redistribution of aluminum seemed not to occur within the serum when in contact with the column, but contamination from extraneous aluminum could greatly alter the aluminum distribution. Different sources of errors were identified.8     

Serum aluminum determination by instrumental neutron activation analysis in long-term haemodialysis patients

Serum aluminum levels were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis in 31 patients undergoing long-term haemodialysis. Aluminum-28 1.778 MeV (T _1/2=2.24 min) γ-rays produced by the thermal neutron reaction²⁷Al(n,γ)²⁸Al were detected. Successive irradiation of the samples at epithermal neutron fluence was performed to correct for the interference from the fast neutron reaction³¹P(n,α)²⁸Al. Serum aluminum level in this group of subjects was adequately represented by a lognormal distribution with a mean and variance of 16.5 μg/l and 16.8 μg/l, respectively. The results obtained were found to be in agreement with serum aluminum determination performed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry (r ²=0.97). Instrumental neutron activation can provide a rapid technique to routinely monitor long-term haemodialysis patients in order to identify individuals at greater risk to develop aluminum toxicity.     

Organic Compounds in High Alpine Snow

Abstract

Snow samples were taken in June 1995 at the Sonnblick Observatory located at the top of Mt. Sonn-blick (3106 m a.s.l.) in the main ridge of the Austrian Alps, as part of the project “Organic Aerosol Scavenging”. The main interest focused on the determination of aliphatic compounds and phenols. First the method for the extraction of the organic compounds was developed using standard samples prepared in the lab. The preconcentration of the samples was performed by liquid-liquid extraction with hexane and hexane/diethylether respectively. To characterize the analytical procedure, the efficiency of the extraction procedure, the reproducibility of the overall method and the detection limits were determined. Values for the recovery of the extraction method range from 57% (fatty acids) to 95% (aliphatic alcohols). Reproducibility was found to be between 3-5%, except for the fatty acids which gave a value of 16%. Detection limits were calculated for the various substances and are between 5μg/l (phenols) and 30μg/l (fatty acids). The analysis of the eight snow samples were performed using a GC-MS-FID system. The following compounds were identified as major compounds in the snow samples: 1-dodecanol, 1-tetradecanol, 1-hexadecanol, 1-octadecanol, 2-isobutyl-4-methoxy-phenol, diisobutylphenol and dibutylphthalate. The aliphatic alcohols are of biogenic origin and are present in a concentration range from 30 to 115 μg/l melted snow. The phenols show concentrations between 5 and 30 μg/l and the phthalates range up to 40 μg/l.     

Fluorimetric Determination of Plasma Cortisol in Chronic Renal Failure

Abstract

A fluorimetric method for the determination of plasma cortisol has been studied in detail. The method is based upon reaction with ethanol-sulphuric acid reagent and measurement of the produced fluorescence at exc. 470 and em. 550 nm. Some modifications were suggested regarding extraction solvent and time of the reaction. Under the proposed conditions, the method is rapid and a sensitivity of 1.5 μg/100 ml was attained. It was applied on 29 patients with chronic renal failure and 12 normal subjects. Cortisol levels at 8 AM in patients on either haemodialysis (27.05 ± 8.94 μg/100 ml) or under conservative treatment (45.13 ± 10.68 μg/100 ml) were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than control group (16.12 ± 3.45 μg/100 ml).     

Solvent Donicity Influence in the Fluorescence Emission of the Lithium/1,4-Dihydroxyanthraquinone System. Improvement in the Quantification of Lithium.

Abstract

The fluorescence emission from the lithium/1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinone system shows a great enhancement in the presence of certain water-miscible solvents. This is justified from the donicity (nucleophilic properties) of the solvent that facilitates the solvation of the lithium cation in solution and the stabilization of an nondissociated ion-pair between the solvated lithium cation and the 1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinonate anion. A very sensitive analytical method was proposed for the spectrofluorimetric determination of lithium based on its reaction with 1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinone (quinizarin) in a dimethylsulfoxide medium (90%) and in presence of sodium hydroxide. The fluorescence is measured at an excitation wavelength of 602 nm and an emission wavelength of 670 nm and it is stable at 25°C at least 6 h. The calibration curve is linear over the concentration ranges of 2–40 μg/l of lithium in an aqueous matrix and 3–50 μg/l in a serum matrix; the RSD's in the determination of 20 μg/l of Li⁺ were 2.6% and 3.2%, respectively. The proposed procedure was satisfactorily applied to the determination of lithium in drugs, dietetic products and human serum.     

Differential Contribution of Albumin and Lipids to the Hydrophobic Extraction of Bis-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate from Hemodialysis Tubing by Human Serum: Analysis by Gas Chromatography - Stable Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A method is presented which allows quantitative assignment of hydrophobic human serum components to the extraction of bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) from medical tubing. Under optimized conditions (sample pH 5.5; fluid-fluid extraction with ethyl acetate + tert-butyl methyl ether 1 + 1 v/v; DEHP-ring-D4 as internal standard with ratios of endogenous (m/z = 149) and added deuterated DEHP (m/z = 153) adjusted to around 1.0; equilibration of added internal standard with the hydrophobic sample for 24 hours), a high precision can be achieved with an intra-assay coefficient of variation of 1.5% (n = 7) for sample DEHP quantification. Phthalate migration from hemodialysis tubing was quantified by use of a peristaltic pump and recirculation (200 minutes) of serum with different degrces of hypertriglyceridemia (range from 2.26 to 14.5 g/L) or solutions of human albumin (10 to 50 g/L). Only DEHP, but no other phthalates are detected in the extracts. There exist linear relations between DEHP extraction and triglyceride content (increase by 1.01 μg DEHP/g tubing material per g triglyceride/L serum) as well as between DEHP extraction and albumin content (0.59 μg DEHP/g tubing material per g albumin/L). Under physiological conditions, the total amount of albumin extracts 17.7-fold more DEHP than the total triglyceride amount in human serum. The suitability of the proposed method as a candidate reference method as well as consequences for dyslipidemic and hypalbuminemic patients on hemodialysis schemes are discussed.     

Linear Scan Stripping Voltammetry at Glassy-Carbon Based Thin Mercury Film Electrodes for Determination of Trace Aluminium in Dialysis Fluids.

Abstract

Linear scan cathodic stripping voltammetry at glassy-carbon based thin mercury film electrodes is a simple and inexpensive alternative for determining trace Al(III) in dialysis fluids.

The efficiency of a variety of ligands (SVRS, Cupferron and Blue Black Eriochrome R) was evaluated comparing their voltamperometric response by application of a linear scan mode, after preconcentration into the mercury film electrode as Al(III) complexes.

The best results were obtained when Cupferron was used as ligand, since its stripping current compares favourably in terms of sensitivity and resolution. The sharply defined cathodic peak at -1.3 V, corresponding to the reduction of the interfacial accumulated complex, could be used for quantitation. The response is linear up to 50 μg/l; correlation coefficient, 0.995. The relative standard deviation (at 20 μg/l level) is 3.5%, a detection limit of 0.5μg/l was estimated from the signal to noise characteristics of the response for 5 μg/l, which compares favourably among the reported electroanalytical methods for aluminium.

We calibrated the method under conditions of use estimating the trace aluminium exposure in patients undergoing dialytic treatment.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous analysis of androgens,estrogens, glucocorticoids and progestagens in human serum

We present a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous analysis of 16 endogenous steroids (androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids and progestogens) in human serum. Samples (250 μl of matrix) were extracted with t-butylmethyl ether prior to LC–MS/MS analysis. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed-phase column using a methanol–water gradient. The HPLC was coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source with acquisition in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method was validated using surrogate matrices and human serum samples. The specificity of the method was confirmed for all of the considered steroids; linearity was also assessed (R² > 0.99, lack-of-fit test) in the ranges of concentrations investigated. The lower limits of quantification were in the range 10–400 pg/ml depending on the target steroid. Accuracy was in the range 85–115% for all target steroids except for the lower limit of quantitation levels where it was 80–120%. The extraction recovery was always >65%. No significant matrix effects were observed. To test the reliability of the method, the analysis of serum samples collected from 10 healthy subjects (5 M/5F) was performed. The present method can be used to identify the trajectories of deviation from the concentration normality ranges applied to disorders of the gonadal and adrenal axes.     

A Simple Electrochemical Method for the Quantitative Determination of Acetaminophen in Serum

Abstract

A simple electrochemical method for the determination of acetaminophen in serum is described. The eleotrode and associated electronics are simple, reliable, and inexpensive to build. The apparatus can be operated at a rate of 2–3 determinations per minute using only 10 μl serum per determination. The procedure includes extraction of acetaminophen in ethyl acetate and subsequent oxidative amperometric detection of the drug by a form of flow-injection analysis. The system parameters of buffer, pH, and redox potential have been optimized to permit measurement of less than 10 μg/ml of acetaminophen. The determination is linear over the range of 10–300 μg/ml with a C.V. of less than 3% for replicate analysis of the same sample.     

Simple determination of betaine,l‐carnitine and choline in human urine using self‐packed column and column‐switching ion chromatography with nonsuppressed conductivity detection

A sequential online extraction, clean‐up and separation system for the determination of betaine, l ‐carnitine and choline in human urine using column‐switching ion chromatography with nonsuppressed conductivity detection was developed in this work. A self‐packed pretreatment column (50 × 4.6 mm, i.d.) was used for the extraction and clean‐up of betaine, l ‐carnitine and choline. The separation was achieved using self‐packed cationic exchange column (150 × 4.6 mm, i.d.), followed by nonsuppressed conductivity detection. Under optimized experimental conditions, the developed method presented good analytical performance, with excellent linearity in the range of 0.60–100 μg mL⁻¹ for betaine, 0.75–100 μg mL⁻¹ for l ‐carnitine and 0.50–100 μg mL⁻¹ for choline, with all correlation coefficients (R²) >0.99 in urine. The limits of detection were 0.15 μg mL⁻¹ for betaine, 0.20 μg mL⁻¹ for l ‐carnitine and 0.09 μg mL⁻¹ for choline. The intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy and precision for all quality controls were within ±10.32 and ±9.05%, respectively. Satisfactory recovery was observed between 92.8 and 102.0%. The validated method was successfully applied to the detection of urinary samples from 10 healthy people. The values detected in human urine using the proposed method showed good agreement with the measurement reported previously.     

Quantification of fenoprofen in human plasma using UHPLC–tandem mass spectrometry for pharmacokinetic study in healthy subjects

A rapid, simple and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) method has been developed to quantify fenoprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in human plasma for a pharmacokinetic study in healthy subjects. Owing to high levels of protein binding, protein precipitation followed by solid-phase extraction was employed for the extraction of fenoprofen and fenoprofen-d3 (used as internal standard) from 200 μL human plasma. Separation was performed on a BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column using methanol−0.2% acetic acid in water (75:25, v/v) under isocratic elution. Electrospray ionization was operated in the negative mode for sample ionization. Ion transitions used for quantification in the selected reaction monitoring mode were m/z 241/197 and m/z 244/200 for fenoprofen and fenoprofen-d3, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, fenoprofen showed excellent linearity in the concentration range 0.02–20 μg/mL (r² ≥ 0.9996), adequate sensitivity, favorable accuracy (96.4–103.7%) and precision (percentage coefficient of variation ≤4.3) with negligible matrix effect. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of fenoprofen in healthy subjects. The significant features of the method include higher sensitivity, small plasma volume for processing and a short analysis time.     

Determination of Barium in Bottled Drinking Water by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Abstract

In relation to the wide environmental spread of barium and to its cardiovascular effects, barium levels were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry in 60 different brands of bottled water marketed in Italy.

Matrix interferences were investigated in order to evaluate the use of an analytical calibration function rather than the much more time consuming addition technique.

The barium content ranged from limit of detection C_L (7.0 μg/l) up to 660 μg/l, the median value being 80 μg/l, while the recovery tests varied between 90 and 110 % and the precision of the method (s_yx) was 2.5 %.     

Determination of Trace Amounts of Cobalt in Blood

Abstract

The analysis of cobalt in whole blood and blood fractions has been carried out using three different analytical techniques namely, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and cathodic stripping voltammetry. This study showed that inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was the better equipped technique for conducting such analyses due to its low detection limits and wide linear dynamic range. The results ranged between 0.7 - 2.62 μg/l for plasma, 1.02 - 2.31 μg/l for serum, and 0.66 - 1.28 μg/l for whole blood. The introduction of different forms of cobalt to Wistar rats resulted in a differing distribution of the element between serum and whole blood. This observation suggests that there are at least two modes of Co uptake and transport depending on the administered or taken chemical form.     

波长检测型表面等离子体子共振生物传感器测定β-环糊精与血清白蛋白的相互作用

采用自行组装的表面等离子体子共振(SPR)传感装置, 固定入射角, 以波长为变量, 以电荷耦合器件(CCD)为检测系统, 用对金和蛋白质均有较强作用的巯基丙酸作为基底膜, 分别监测了β-环糊精(CD)与人血清白蛋白(HSA)、牛血清白蛋白(BSA)反应的动力学过程, 并分别计算了它们的动力学常数、热力学常数及键合百分率. 此外, 对传感器的再生性也进行了研究. 结果表明, β-CD与HSA, BSA相互作用的平衡常数分别是7.79和51.00 μmol/L, 且键合百分率都很高, 分别是98.77%和94.25%. 这些结果有力地说明了β-CD作为药物载体, 可以提高生物利用度, 延长药物半衰期.     

A Stability-Indicating Liquid Chromatographic Method for the Analysis of Erythromycin in Stored Biological Fluids Using Amperometric Detection

Abstract

A simple, sensitive and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the determination of erythromycin in human serum and urine using amperometric detection. A solid-phase extraction procedure was used followed by chromatography on a reverse-phase column. The mean recovery of erythromycin from serum and urine was 80%. Calibration plots for erythromycin base in serum and urine were linear over the ranges 0.25–5.0 μg/ml and 1.25–25.0 μg/ml respectively, with a sensitivity limit of 0.1 μg/ml.

This method allows both erythromycin and its principle degradation product, anhydroerythromycin, to be determined during a period of sample storage at 4°C and ?15°C. The method is sufficiently sensitive and precise and is thus highly suited for use in both pharmacokinetic and stability studies.     

Application of Capillary Zone Electrophoresis for the Analysis of Low Molecular Weight Organic Acids in Environmental Samples

Abstract

The applicability of a recently developed capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) method for the determination of low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids in water was tested on five types of environmental samples (rainwater, water extract from peat, and soil water from two polluted sites). A full baseline resolved separation of fourteen commonly found LMW carboxylic acids in natural waters (malonic, oxalic, fumaric, maleic, formic, succinic, tartaric, glutaric, adipic, acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric and citric acids), was achieved within eight minutes. The limits of detection (2 X noise) were in the ranges 90–200 μg/l and 0.5 – 5 μg/l for hydrodynamic and electrokinetic injection, respectively. Two different CZE systems, a Waters Quanta 4000 and a Hewlett Packard HP ^3DCE system, were used and their performance compared.     

The establishment of tocopherol reference intervals for Hungarian adult population using a validated HPLC method

Evidence suggests that decreased α ‐tocopherol (the most biologically active substance in the vitamin E group) level can cause neurological symptoms, most likely ataxia. The aim of the current study was to first provide reference intervals for serum tocopherols in the adult Hungarian population with appropriate sample size, recruiting healthy control subjects and neurological patients suffering from conditions without symptoms of ataxia, myopathy or cognitive deficiency. A validated HPLC method applying a diode array detector and rac‐tocol as internal standard was utilized for that purpose. Furthermore, serum cholesterol levels were determined as well for data normalization. The calculated 2.5–97.5% reference intervals for α ‐, β /γ ‐ and δ ‐tocopherols were 24.62–54.67, 0.81–3.69 and 0.29–1.07 μm , respectively, whereas the tocopherol/cholesterol ratios were 5.11–11.27, 0.14–0.72 and 0.06–0.22 μmol/mmol, respectively. The establishment of these reference intervals may improve the diagnostic accuracy of tocopherol measurements in certain neurological conditions with decreased tocopherol levels. Moreover, the current study draws special attention to the possible pitfalls in the complex process of the determination of reference intervals as well, including the selection of study population, the application of internal standard and method validation and the calculation of tocopherol/cholesterol ratios.